Passenger Trains > National Limited--LAST RUN

Anyone have pictures/slides of Amtrak #30 and 31 and their last trips way back when in 1979? Would be interested in shots east of Harrisburg and in the long stretch of rail btwn Dayton, Columbus and Richmond that was later abandoned/downgraded. Pls respond to mailbox with what you have and your "terms" for sale or trade.

One of the ironies of the National Ltd was - so I am told - that when it was discontinued reliability and ridership were increasing. I have never been able to verify the truth of this statement, but have heard it over and over again from various sources. I wonder if it is true or just another 'urban RR legend". Of course, the National was one of the victims of the many politically commanded cutbacks that have hammered Amtrak's system so hard down the years.

The National Limited. Gosh, does that ever bring back memories. On-time performance was down around 50% (or lower). I believe it when somebody says that reliability was improving; it couldn't have gotten much worse. One of the biggest problems was that the track Conrail inherited from Penn Central was in such bad shape that delays were inevitable. Conrail did yeoman service in fixing the problem. I always wondered what would have happened if Amtrak could have delayed eliminating the train until after repairs were completed.

This train probably has set some type of record for travelling over the largest amount of trackage that is mostly abandoned today.

I just wanted a picture not someone elses' memories. I have legions of memories and a few photgraphic gaps to fill in my collection.